


3 Timers and a Necromancer

by longlosttimelady



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe- Witches, I don't know what else to tag for, M/M, Necromancy, Temporary Character Death, Timers au, Vicchan Lives (again), Victor dies but is brought back, fake coma cover story?, it's like a Shakepeare comedy- it starts with a death and ends with wedding (or engagement), life threatening injury mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-10-20 03:05:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17614229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/longlosttimelady/pseuds/longlosttimelady
Summary: Everyone is born with three timers, one for when you acheive your life goal, one for when you meet your soulmate, and one for when you die. Most people's death happens last, Victor's happens first. Luckily Yuuri is secretly a necromancer.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This took me forever to write but it's finally done! It's also my longest completed fic so far.
> 
> If you notice any tags that I should add let me know so I can add them.

For as long as Victor could remember, whenever anyone noticed his timers they looked both sad and confused. There were three of them. One counted down until the moment that you accomplished your life's goal, one is for when you meet your soulmate, and one is for when you die.

 

For Victor, death would come first.

 

He didn't really understand how that worked, no one did, but the timers said that he would die at 27, and then meet his soulmate about a month later, and then accomplish his goal about a year after he died. That just didn't make sense.

 

People had briefly considered that he would technically die but only briefly before his life was saved, but a quick search proved that in all of those cases the death timer did not count down to those brief deaths, only permanent ones. This was not very encouraging.

 

When Victor was 10 he started to hide his counters and ignore them completely. By the time he was 20 he had almost completely forgotten what each of them said. Almost.

 

-

 

Over the years Victor would often wonder what his life's goal could possibly be.

 

At first he thought that it was to win a gold medal in figure skating, which was very quickly disproven.

 

Then he thought it must be a specific gold medal, but after his first Olympic gold that too was disproven.

 

Next he thought it was to be the undisputed best figure skater in the world, which was disproven after his third straight World Championship Gold.

 

By the time he had won his 5th consecutive Worlds title he had given up on trying to figure it out, realizing that he never would anyway, especially since his death was coming. He couldn't remember the exact time (he'd never really bothered to figure it out past that he would be 27, it was just too depressing) but he knew it had to be soon, and honestly by this point in his life, he didn't really care.

 

There were times (far too many) that he thought that Makkachin was his only real friend. Chris was too far away and also his competitor, he wasn't really that close to his rinkmates, he was pretty sure that Yakov's timer had been counting down faster since he started coaching Victor, and his parent's were both so busy with their own lives that they hadn't really been close in years.

 

He knew he had legions of fans that would be sad when he was gone, but they would move on, there were always new talented skaters to fawn over, Yuri Plisetsky being one of them. There was also Yuuri Katsuki. Sure Katsuki had bombed the GPF, and apparently done so badly at Japanese Nationals that he hadn't made it to Worlds (which was a shame because Victor had really loved the videos he'd found of his skating and really wanted to see him in person, skating at his best), but he had so much potential that he could easily overshadow Victor once he was gone.

 

Ironically, it was these thoughts that were spiraling through his head when it happened.

 

He was at the rink. It had been a long day of practice, everyone else had already gotten off the ice and was slowly making their way to the changing rooms. Victor just kept skating and without thinking went for a quad flip, but he over rotated it and fell, badly, his head hit the ice hard and the world went dark just as his death timer hit zero.


	2. Chapter 2

Yuuri sat in his room staring in shock at the article in front of him.  The headline read

**FIGURE SKATING LEGEND VICTOR NIKIFOROV IN A COMA AFTER FAILED QUAD FLIP**

 

It couldn't be, Victor was at the peak of his career, this couldn't have happened. The article said that the damage was so severe that it was uncertain if he would ever wake up, let alone return to figure skating.

 

Tears had just started to fall when Vicchan made his way into Yuuri's room. At least he had his beloved dog back. He had been lucky that the spell had worked, most witches could only bring back dead plants or sometimes small fish or birds, no one had ever resurrected any type of mammal, let alone a dog, even a small one. But Yuuri had, with the help of his family's hot springs. It was no secret that the Katsuki hot springs had minor healing powers, it had become a very popular destination for that reason alone, and Yuuri was exceedingly grateful for it.

 

Yuuri and his family hadn't told anyone besides the Nishigoris and Minako about this particular accomplishment, best to avoid any attention, good or bad, but they were aware that the people of Hasetsu had noticed the return of a miniature poodle named Vicchan at Yutopia, which had led to rumors, which had spread. Luckily they were only rumors, and no one in Hasetsu had any intention of confirming them, but still.

 

Yuuri was never more happy to have Vicchan back than when he was upset, and this was definitely one of those times. He hugged his beloved dog close as he started to cry harder.

 

He had the fleeting thought that maybe if Victor died he could bring him back too, but quickly dismissed it as ludicrous, bringing back a small dog was one thing, a human was another, especially someone like Victor. No, best to hope that the healers in Russia could work their magic and save him first.

 

 _I wonder if there are any healing hot springs in Saint Petersburg?_  he thought as his tears finally began to subside. _If not then maybe they could bring him here, give him a better chance._ It was with this thought that he resolved to at least try to do something to save his idol, no matter how insignificant.

 

The only problem was how to make the offer. Yuuri thought through who he could contact, he didn't really know anyone close to Victor, but if he asked someone who was then it might work.

 

Alright, start with who was close to Victor. Yuri Plisetsky was out, Yuuri was pretty sure the kid hated him and would probably dismiss the offer immediately, Yakov scared him, he didn't know anyone who knew Georgi Popovich, but Sara was close with Mila (he was pretty sure that they were secretly dating, or would be soon if they weren't already). So the next step would be to contact Sara and hope that Michele didn't get in the way due to his (often worrying) over protectiveness.

 

-

 

The next day Yuuri got a message from Sara with Mila's contact information wishing him luck.

 

Yuuri immediately began drafting a message to Mila.

 

***

 

Mila nearly started crying when she got the very polite message from Yuuri Katsuki offering his condolences over Victor's supposed condition and an offer to use his family's healing hot springs to help with his recovery.

 

She wasn't sure why exactly it was still a secret that Victor had died. Pretending that he was simply in a coma wouldn't reverse the truth, no matter how much they all wished that were the case. She thought that maybe it had something to do with his family, they were pretty hard to get in touch with, so maybe they hadn't been contacted yet, that would make sense at least.

 

She knew that Victor's body was being kept in a small private hospital and everyone who even knew he was there was sworn to secrecy about his actual condition. That also seemed pointless to her, but she figured that it kept up the appearance of the lie.

 

Mila re-read Katsuki's text wondering if these magical hot springs could help with grief. She decided to look them up.

 

By chance her search led her to a small gossip column of Hasetsu's local newspaper. One of the links on the page intrigued her and she immediately clicked it. There was a short article there about a dog that had died in December, but was apparently now alive and well. It appeared to be nothing more than mentioning how odd it was and urging anyone who was curious to visit the same hot springs she had been researching themselves to see the mysteriously resurrected "Vicchan".  The last paragraph also mentioned a possible connection between the famed witch/former ballerina Minako Okakawa, and also noting that it was convenient that Yuuri Katsuki's beloved pet had re-appeared just after he returned home.

 

This definitely grabbed her attention. As far as she knew it was unlikely that the dog could have actually been alive that whole time and unnoticed, but it was also supposed to be impossible to bring most things back from the dead, but apparently it was definitely the same dog, who had apparently been hit by a car and died immediately. This definitely seemed worth investigating, maybe if someone really could bring back a dog, then they could also bring back a Living Legend of figure skating.

 

Further research into this rumor brought up nothing beyond discovering that apparently this Minako Okakawa had also trained Yuuri in both witchcraft and ballet, which he was apparently a natural at with both (Mila had flashbacks to her former training with Lilia and couldn't help but be jealous). It seemed it might be worth a trip to visit Yuuri after all.

 

Mila sent him a response thanking him and saying that she would mention it to the people who could make that decision and let him know. Once that was done she printed out all her findings and ran straight to the rink.

 

-

 

She knew that it would be hard to convince Yakov to take a chance on this, but to her surprise he seemed to agree that a long shot was better than nothing. He instructed her to take Yuri and go to Hasetsu, Japan for a week to find out whatever they could. He also gave them permission to tell Yuuri Katsuki the truth about Victor, and also the necromancer, if they existed.

 

Yuri was not happy about this forced vacation, but agreed (it was an open secret that he was a huge Yuuri Katsuki fan and also grudgingly fond of Victor), and so a few days later they were on a plane for Japan, Makkachin in tow.

 

***

 

Yuuri couldn't decide if he was excited or nervous when he got Mila's reply that she (and unfortunately Yuri Plisetsky) were going to be coming to visit to take a look at the hot springs and discuss his offer more. He decided that his own feelings didn't matter and immediately ran to inform his parents of their expected guests.

 

A few days later they arrived. Yuuri was surprised to see Victor's poodle with them.

 

Mila and Yuri Plisetsky seemed unusually somber, which, due to the circumstances, wasn't surprising. Even Makkachin seemed subdued, although he really didn't know her usual temperament so he couldn't be sure. He was surprised at how much they seemed to be interested in Vicchan, especially Plisetsky (quickly dubbed Yurio by Mari) who was known to be very much a cat person.

 

Yuuri decided to ignore it though (Vicchan was very cute after all) in order to focus on more important matters.

 

"Would you like to see the hot springs now or settle in first?"

 

"Might as well get it over with now," Yurio replied, "I don't have to bathe with other people do I?"

 

"We do have a couple private baths, but the best ones for healing are public. It's up to you which you use, but if you want to investigate the healing properties you might want to try the outdoor public one."

 

Yurio grimaced at that.

 

"There's a separate men's and women's area right?" Mila inquired. Yuuri nodded. "I'm guessing that Victor would be put in the men's one, which means that you'll have to test the public one, _Yurio_." Mila smirked at Yurio, obviously enjoying his discomfort at the idea, although Yuuri couldn't help but notice that her amusement didn't seem to meet her eyes.

 

Yurio grudgingly agreed (although his displeasure also didn't quite seem to meet his eyes) and followed Yuuri into the men's area while Mila followed Mari into the women's. Makkachin followed Vicchan into the kitchen for some food.

 

***

 

Mila had made sure to cover herself in as many bruises as possible both before they left Russia and on the way to the hot springs (which wasn't hard as a figure skater) and had told Yuri, Yurio, to do the same, which he had (she may have helped with a few of them). It was unpleasant but necessary in order to test the healing qualities of the hot springs. Luckily Yuuri's older sister Mari had informed her that the men's and women's outdoor pools with the greatest healing properties were technically the same pool that had naturally divided into two and therefore were equally as good at healing.

 

Apparently this was good for business because it allowed the pools to be accessible to all genders at all times, rather than having the accessibility be split or shared. All Mila cared about was that they wouldn't have to sneak Victor into the women's rather than the men's. Although they might still need to close the hot spring for privacy reasons. They could discuss the logistics later, for now she needed to test the spring.

 

As she settled in Mila instantly felt better, although she had a feeling that it had more to do with the hot water and relaxing environment than magic. She resisted the urge to watch her bruises, as Mari had told her that it worked best if you just allowed yourself to relax completely and that sometimes it could take multiple trips for injuries to completely heal. So Mila forced herself to relax and was surprised at how quickly the recommended time passed.

 

As she got out of the spring she glanced down at her body and paused when she saw that most of her bruises were completely gone, and the worst ones had significantly improved. She was shocked, and excited.

 

Mila rushed to get dressed and quickly went to find both Yurio and Yuuri.

 

Yuuri was sitting in the main room playing with the poodles. Mila briefly wondered if Yuuri had gotten his dog specifically to look like Makkachin, it was no secret that he was a fan of Victor after all, Vicchan's name even sounded a bit like Victor. She would have to remember to ask later.

 

As she made her way over to Yuuri, Yurio suddenly burst into the room.

 

"WHAT THE FUCK! IT ACTUALLY WORKS!" he screamed, getting the attention of everyone in the inn. Yuuri seemed amused, Mila wondered how often people reacted  like this.

 

"Of course it does," Yuuri replied calmly, "we wouldn't be known for it if it didn't."

 

Mila was impressed by Yuuri's ability to remain calm in the face of Yurio's ridiculous appearance. It seemed he had rushed out even faster than she had, he barely seemed to have gotten his robes on and his skin was still reddened from the heat. She was barely restraining her own laughter, but Yuuri, and it seemed the rest of the Katsukis, seemed merely amused. Definitely common then.

 

Mila made her way over to Yuuri, making sure to grab Yurio on her way, and sat down.

 

"I'm very impressed," she started, "I think these hot springs show promise. We'll have to report back to Yakov in a bit, but afterwards is there somewhere that we can talk in private?"

 

"Of course. Come find me, or any of my family, when you're ready to talk."

 

"Great. He would probably kill us if we called now, so in the mean time why don't we get more acquainted. I hear you practice magic Yuuri."

 

"Um, yeah, I do." Yuuri replied, seeming thrown by the sudden change in topic.

 

"That's amazing, I've always wished I had the talent for it, it seems so useful. It would be great to be able to have real plants in my apartment, I can't seem to keep them alive."

 

"There are some spells that can help with that. You can make them more hardy or spell a watering can to water them whenever the plants need it or create artificial sunlight. Those were all useful when I was training in Detroit, my roommate insisted on having live plants, but we were both too busy to really be able to take care of them properly."

 

Mila had hoped that Yuuri would bring up necromancy, but it seemed that she would have to try a different tactic.

 

"Useful to be able to bring back the dead ones too." Yurio supplied, Mila could have hugged him, but she was trying to be discreet.

 

"True, but if you know the spells to keep them alive you don't really need to be able to bring them back. Besides, necromancy is a lot harder than most witches are capable of, so it's best not to rely on it."

 

Closer.

 

"Have you ever tried it, Yuuri?" Mila asked, trying to contain her excitement.

 

Yuuri's reaction to her question was interesting. He seemed to get flustered and quickly glanced down to his dog, which had moved to curl up in his lap, before looking away guiltily. "Um, once or twice," he answered, clearly trying to hide something. Luckily he was not very good at it.

 

"Did you manage to bring back anything interesting?"

 

Yuuri was very obviously flustered now and looked like he was ready to flee, which he did a second later, stating he needed to take Vicchan for a walk before running upstairs with the poodle. He didn't come back down.

 

"Does he honestly think we can't tell he's hiding something?" Yurio asked, staring in the direction that Yuuri had gone with an incredulous look.

 

"I don't know, but luckily for us he's not very subtle." Mila said, switching to Russian and dropping her voice to avoid being overheard. "I thought his mentor was the one we needed, but I think it might actually be him."

 

Yurio looked shocked. "You think the guy that bombed the GPF is the same one who brought a dog back from the dead?"

 

"We all know you're a fan Yurio. He did well in the short program, and from what I could tell it looks like his dog might have died around the time of the final, so if he got the news right before the free... but yes, I do think it was him."

 

Yurio looked thoughtful for a moment. "You think he bombed the free skate because his dog died?" Yurio looked skeptical.

 

"How would you skate if Potya suddenly died. How have you been skating recently?" Mila replied darkly, none of them had been skating well since the incident, and she knew how much Yurio loved his cat. He seemed to realize the truth of what she said to because he deflated a moment later.

 

"Fine. You're probably right, I think it was him."

 

"Then we should call Yakov. Come on Yurio."

 

As Mrs. Katsuki led them to their rooms Mila finally allowed herself to feel hopeful.

 

***

 

Half an hour later Yuuri met Mila and Yurio in his family's rarely used banquet room. Apparently Mila had wanted to meet wherever would ensure the most privacy, and since the banquet room was on the top floor with only Yuuri's room it was deemed the most private. Yuuri didn't understand why privacy was so important, but he supposed he was about to find out.

 

"Hey, Yuuri," Mila greeted as she walked through the door, Yurio following behind her. Mari slid the door closed and left to go back downstairs.

 

"Hi. So I take it you liked the hot springs?" Yuuri really didn't know how to start this conversation, but that seemed like a good place.

 

"They're incredible! But we need to talk to you before we make arrangements to bring Victor here." Mila suddenly turned very serious. "What we're about to tell you is a secret, absolutely no one can know without Yakov's permission, understood?"

 

"Y-yes? Ok." Yuuri said with apprehension. What could be so secret? What was going on?

 

Mila nodded before steeling herself for whatever she was about to say next.

 

"Victor died." Mila stated matter of factly. Yuuri felt like his entire world was collapsing. He looked over to Yurio, hoping to see something that would contradict this statement, but the look on Yurio's face only confirmed it.

 

"W-what?" Yuuri could barely breathe.

 

"The accident. Victor hit his head and died almost instantly." Yuuri noticed tears leaking from her eyes as she clearly tried to hold it together long enough to tell him what she needed to. Yuuri felt tears leaking down his own face but was too much in shock to do anything to stop them.

 

"Yakov says that they're waiting to get a hold of his parents before they make an official announcement, which is why he told everyone that it's only a coma. The only ones who know the truth are those of us who were there and the doctor's who have been looking after him." Mila paused to wipe the tears from her eyes before continuing. "But it's good that no one knows because it gives us a chance."

 

"A chance?" Yuuri whispered. A chance at what? If Victor was dead then there was nothing that could bring him back. Even necromancers could only bring back small things. Well, except for...

 

"Vicchan." Yuuri looked between Mila and Yurio, "You know about Vicchan?"

 

They nodded.

 

"I did some research after you first contacted me and found a rumor about your dog being brought back to life. We were hoping that if someone could bring back a dog then they could bring back a person. We thought it might have been your teacher, Minako Okakawa, but it wasn't her was it, Yuuri?"

 

Yuuri didn't know what to say, for a moment he considered denying it, but what good would that do really. They'd figured it out after less than a day, he obviously wasn't going to be able to keep it a secret from them, but just because he's managed to bring back Vicchan didn't mean he could bring back Victor.

 

"It wasn't," Yuuri admitted, deciding not to tell them any more.

 

"It was you wasn't it."

 

Damn.

 

Yuuri sighed, "It was. But just because I brought back Vicchan doesn't mean I could bring back Victor!"

 

They didn't look convinced.

 

"Why not?" Yurio actually looked a bit angry now, "It's supposed to be impossible to bring back anything more complex than a bird, but you brought back a fucking dog!" Yurio's voice was starting to get louder and Mila looked like she was preparing to silence him if he got too loud. "You've already done the impossible, so why can't you at least try to do it again?! Aren't you supposed to be a fan of Victor's? Don't you want him to come back!?" Yurio looked on the verge of tears now.

 

"Of course I do!" Yuuri interupted, "but that doesn't change the fact that bringing back a person would be so much harder than a dog!"

 

"Could you at least try?" Mila asked quietly, for the first time she sounded a bit broken.

 

Yuuri paused, thinking. This must be hardest on those who actually knew Victor, it was hard on him and he was just a fan. He wondered how he would have felt if the official announcement had said the truth about what had happened. He would have been devastated, he would have wished there was some way to bring him back, he would have wished _he_ could bring him back.

 

Yuuri thought about how he had brought Vicchan back. The hot springs had been essential, true, but his own feelings of grief and determination, even having been muted over the months, had been what had really done it. The spell was the same no matter what he brought back. The magic had nearly drained him when he brought back Vicchan, but he had only barely tapped into the magic of the hot springs, using them to mostly heal his dog's body and to prevent the spell from draining him completely, but if he managed to use the magic from the hot springs to help with the actual spell, then... it could possibly work. He would have to practice accessing the magic, but there was time. He could do it

 

He would do it.

 

Yuuri looked back up at Mila and Yurio. "I'll do it."

 

***

 

Yuuri had insisted that he needed Victor's body in the hot spring in order for the spell to work, so they would have to figure out how to get it here. He would also need something of Victor's, the more sentimental the better. Luckily he said Makkachin would suffice, but considering the level of difficulty the more the better.

 

Luckily Yakov was in charge of arranging the transportation of everything, so all Yuri and Mila had to do was wait. They had been given the option to take a break from practicing while they were in Hasetsu, especially since Yakov was busy back home, but, even though Yuri would never admit it, he really wanted the chance to train with his idol.

 

Unfortunately his idol was spending a lot of time sitting in the hot springs meditating or whatever. When Yuri had asked he said he was trying to establish a greater connection to the natural magic of the hot springs or some shit.

 

The worst part was that Yuuri didn't seem to be spending much time skating at all.

 

Yurio couldn't help but think back to his careless words in the bathroom at Sochi. Did that moron take him seriously? It was meant as a challenge, he didn't really think that Yuri wanted him to retire, right? Although it seemed that Yuuri had almost no self confidence, so he probably did think that.

 

Yuri grumbled and got up from where he had been laying on the floor. He hadn't even seen Katsuki all morning, he was probably back in the hot springs again. Boring. Maybe he should just go skate. It would at least give him something to do.

 

***

 

Yuuri wished the timers weren't a thing. He wished no one knew when they would meet their soulmates (Yuuri's would be soon) or accomplish their life goal (he had a year) or when they would die (luckily it was a very long time away still).

 

He had caught sight of his timers in the shower this morning and realized that Victor's death timer must have hit zero, and everyone expected him to bring him back! That meant not only doing the impossible and bringing back a human, but also changing fate! How was he supposed to do that? Even if he could bring Victor back what would happen after? How would fate react to that?

 

Yuuri had immediately run to the ice rink.

 

He was skating figures while trying not to panic when he heard the rink doors crash open.

 

He turned to see Yurio standing in the doorway, a look of surprise on his face before it returned to his usual scowl.

 

"So this is where you've been hiding." Yurio grumbled.

 

Yuuri wished he was still hiding, but then a thought struck him, Yurio trained with Victor, maybe he had seen his timers before, maybe he knew something that could help make this seem less impossible.

 

"Hey, Yurio, have you ever seen Victor's timers?"

 

"What?"

 

"His timers," Yuuri held up his own wrist where the timers were hidden beneath a thick wrist band. It was common for celebrities and public figures to hide theirs, but even Yuuri (who was hardly a celebrity or public figure) rarely hid his while training or at home, he hoped Victor had been the same. "Did you ever see them?"

 

Yurio thought for a moment. "No, he always had them covered."

 

"Do you know anyone who might have seen them?"

 

Yurio shrugged. "Yakov maybe. He's probably known Victor the longest. Why do you care?"

 

"How am I supposed to change fate?"

 

"Huh?"

 

"If Victor was fated to die a few weeks ago how am I supposed to change that?! I'm just a dime-a-dozen witch who could barely bring their dog back, and dogs don't have timers! What happens if I succeed but then he immediately dies again?!" Yuuri was definitely starting to panic now.

 

"Then at least you tried." Yuuri paused at Yurio's surprisingly sincere words. The effect only lasted a moment, however, before Yurio started yelling, "AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN DIME-A-DOZEN WITH! YOU'RE THE _ONLY_ ONE WHO HAS BROUGHT A DOG BACK! If anyone can do it it's you! Fate or not, you will bring Victor back and you will make it to the Grand Prix Final again where I will crush you both!"

 

Yuuri was stunned, since when did Yurio have so much faith in him? He supposed he was right though, no one else had managed to bring back any sort of mammal before, and his connection to the hot spring had been growing, but could he really change fate like that? He guessed he would have to wait and see. Yuuri was finally starting to feel better when something occurred to him.

 

"I thought you wanted me to retire." Yuuri sent Yurio a sly look. Yurio looked like he'd been caught red handed.

 

"I, um..." Yuuri was surprised to see that Yurio actually looked uncertain. "I don't want you to retire, okay! I was upset that you had done so badly and were hiding away crying in a bathroom instead of dealing with it like a man or whatever," Yurio said in a rush.

 

Yuuri didn't know how to respond to that.

 

"That's when your dog died, isn't it? Is that why you bombed? And then were crying?"

 

"Yes. I found out that morning. I hadn't seen him in five years."

 

"Oh. I'm sorry."

 

Yuuri smiled. Yurio wasn't really so bad after all. "Do you want to skate? I should probably try to start training again if I am going to make it to the Final this year. Although I don't have a coach anymore so I could use someone to train with."

 

Yurio looked like he was fighting back a smile. "Yeah, sure, whatever," he replied nonchalantly. "Yakov might consider coaching you for helping with Victor, whether you succeed or not. He already uses your step sequences as an example for the rest of us."

 

Yuuri didn't know what to think about that, so he chose to ignore it and start training.


	3. Chapter 3

**(THREE WEEKS AGO)**

 

Yakov hadn't really thought about Victor's timers in a long time. He remembered seeing them when he first took on the boy and was shocked at the anomaly he saw on Victor's wrist. Not long after Victor had started covering it up at all times, and since there was nothing Yakov could do, he decided to forget about it.

 

Now he remembered, and it was painful, but also confusing. He had been in a daze ever since he'd seen the quad flip go so horribly wrong. He had given the doctors instructions to leave his wrist covering on, partially so he didn't have to see the death timer at zero, but also because it would help keep up the lie that Victor was only in a coma. Yakov wondered about the other two timers. Would they have stopped at whatever numbers they had been on? Probably. Part of Yakov needed to know for sure, but another part  was terrified of finding out.

 

Eventually curiosity won and he headed over to the hospital where Victor was being kept.

 

The room they had put him in was set up to look like it was meant for someone in a coma, but if you looked closely it was really keeping his body preserved until they could get a hold of his family. It was heartbreaking to see, but Yakov needed to know, so he made his way over to the bed side and carefully lifted Victor's wrist before removing the covering.

 

At first all Yakov could see was the horrible line of zeros, before flickering numbers caught his eye.

 

The other two were still counting down.

 

How? He'd always assumed that the others would just stop, and there was no known precedent for it, so he couldn't even ask anyone about what usually would happen, but here they were, still counting down. Yakov noticed that the soulmate counter had only a few weeks left, would they meet at the funeral? Would that even count? Or was there something else going on? And what of the other one? It had just under a year left. How?

 

Yakov replaced the cover and set Victor's wrist back down on the bed. He couldn't bear to be there any longer and quickly left.

 

-

 

Part of Yakov felt bad about lying to Victor's fans, but he knew that his parents needed to know first, but after a week they could hardly hide Victor's disappearance any longer. The coma was a good cover story for now, and it was nice to believe that there was still a chance.

 

He couldn't stop thinking about Victor's timers and wondering if there really was still a chance.

 

-

 

A few days later Mila came rushing into his office, saying something about a hot springs and possible necromancer and maybe doing the impossible. It wasn't much, but it was a chance.

 

-

 

Yakov had been on edge ever since Mila and Yuri left for Japan. He wanted so badly to believe that this necromancer was real and could bring Vitya back, but he wasn't allowing himself to hope, not yet. It was still only a rumor after all. These hot springs might not even be that special.

 

He still wasn't sure what he wanted to hear when his phone rang. Mila was calling.

 

-

 

Sending a body from Russia to Japan was a nightmare. Luckily the lie that Victor was only in a coma helped. Apparently the paperwork got rushed through if it was for sending a living person for medical treatment rather than sending a corpse for a miracle. Even still, they estimated that it would take two weeks for Vitya to arrive in Hasetsu. He had already been dead for two weeks, would the necromancer still be able to help after a month? Although Mila had said that the dog had died in December and been brought back in March, so two weeks might not make that much difference.

 

Still, the necromancer (he still didn't know exactly who it was but had been assured he would find out when he arrived) had said it would help to have some of Victor's stuff there, so Yakov would bring as much of it as he could.

 

***

 

When Yuuri had heard that Yakov would be shipping some of Victor's stuff over he wasn't expecting _this_.

 

There were easily _at least_ ten boxes piled in the front room. What could Yakov possibly have sent? He only really needed a few small things besides Makkachin, he thought he'd made that clear, he'd expected Yakov to put a few things, medals and maybe some pictures, into his carry on, but this, this was, a lot.

 

Oh well, maybe having this much here would help. Hopefully.

 

Yuuri carefully peered into the first box and saw... a bust? Weird. It looked like it was surrounded by sheets and blankets too, was that to protect it during shipping? Actually, the sheets and blankets looked like they had been stripped directly off a bed before being put in the box. Yuuri looked closer and found... a pillow, Victor's actual pillow. Yuuri felt himself blush as he quickly closed the box and peered into the next.

 

In the end, Yuuri had found a box of what seemed to be Victor's entire bathroom (no wonder he always looked so flawless), a box of photos and mementos (probably the only one he actually needed)Two boxes of every award that Victor had ever won (Yuuri's not-so-inner fanboy nearly died at that box), eight tightly packed boxes of what seemed to be Victor's entire wardrobe (who needed that many clothes?), a box of toys and bedding for Makkachin (at least Makkachin would be comfortable while she was here), a _very_ heavy box of books and paperwork (why, Yakov? Why?), a box of Victor's skating gear (Yuuri almost squealed), and five boxes containing all of Victor's skating costumes (Yuuri's not-so-inner fanboy definitely died from excitement).

 

This was definitely excessive. Did Yakov expect Victor to move in after he was brought back to life? The only thing missing seemed to be the kitchen and actual furniture. And Victor himself.

 

***

 

Yakov arrived the day before Victor was meant to.

 

Yuuri was nervous. Not only was Yakov intimidating, even while radiating grief, but that left only a day before he would be expected to perform a miracle.

 

He hoped he could succeed. He didn't even want to think of the alternative. He couldn't.

 

Even worse, apparently Victor's parents had finally contacted Yakov just after he arrived and been filled in, on everything. They were already on a plane to Hasetsu. So no pressure. None at all.

 

Yakov was currently eating dinner with Yuuri's family, Mila, Yurio, and Minako. Yuuri had excused himself, stating that he really wasn't hungry. It was true, he felt nauseous. He knew they would be discussing logistics. The onsen would be closed tomorrow, Victor's stuff (all of it) would be set up next to the main hot spring (a lot of it would be kept in boxes, but Yuuri had already sorted out a few things that would be out of the boxes) and once Victor arrived he would be taken directly to the hot spring, where Yuuri would be waiting with Makkachin.

 

Yuuri had been adamant that the only person allowed anywhere near the hot spring at that point would be Minako, who would be waiting in the indoor area in case he needed her and also to relay the news, good or bad. Yuuri really hoped it would be good.

 

Currently, he was sitting in the banquet room surrounded by most of Victor's stuff (the heavier boxes had been left downstairs closer to the onsen) and cuddling both poodles, trying not to panic, again.

 

He stayed in his poodle pile until he eventually fell asleep, his head pillowed on Makkachin and Vicchan acting as a tiny blanket.

 

***

 

Victor's body arrived just before noon. Mila couldn't bear to look, she wasn't sure if it was better or worse that Victor was hidden by a sheet. She watched the Russian doctors that had accompanied him here take him into the onsen, led by Minako. A few minutes later they returned, without Victor.

 

Now all she could do was wait, and it was agony.

 

***

 

Yuuri had hidden in the onsen just after he had forced down what little breakfast he could. He was so nervous he could barely breathe, let alone eat. He stayed in the locker room with Makkachin until his phone alerted him to a text from Minako.

 

**From: Minako-sensei**

He's here.

 

Yuuri took a deep breath and led Makkachin to the outdoor pool. Luckily she was very well trained so he had no doubt that she would not get in the way while he was working, but he still tied her leash to the bench set against the wall, just in case she got excited. He wouldn't blame her, assuming that it worked.

 

A minute later Minako entered, followed by two Russian doctors carrying Victor on a stretcher. They removed the sheet covering him and Yuuri couldn't breathe. His first time seeing his idol in person and it had to be like this. Of course it would be. But even after being dead for a month Victor was still unfairly beautiful.

 

Minako instructed them to place Victor on the edge of the pool, it would be better for him to be lowered in gently and no clothing was allowed in the hot spring. Yuuri would have to be the one to do it once they all left.

 

Yuuri and Minako watched as the doctors left to join the others before Minako turned to Yuuri.

 

"You ready?"

 

"No," Yuuri answered honestly, "but I don't think I ever really will be, so..." Yuuri shrugged.

 

Minako clapped him on the shoulder as she turned to leave, "good luck." And then Yuuri was alone.

 

He slowly removed his robe and got into the onsen. He then turned around to lift Victor's body into the water when he froze, noticing a thick strip of cloth covering his wrist. He immediately removed it and paused when he saw the timer for the first time.

 

Two of the counters were still counting down, and the death one had gone blank, not stopped at zero as it should have been, and as Yakov had mentioned that it was. Blank. Yuuri smiled as he placed Victor into the onsen.

 

He could do this.

 

***

 

Yuri looked down at his phone, it had to have been, what, three hours already?

 

It had been five minutes.

 

God, how long was this going to take? This waiting was torture. He looked around at the others in the room, at least he wasn't suffering alone.

 

_Hurry up Katsudon!_

 

***

 

Yuuri tapped into the magic of the hot spring and let it mix with his own. He then reached out with his mind and sought out the connections that Victor had to the things surrounding them. Some of the connections were stronger than others, Makkachin was the strongest. He held on to those connections while focusing intently on Victor, both the living image of him and the lifeless body floating in front of him.

 

He cast the spell.

 

***

 

Yuuri felt drained.

 

He'd put everything he'd had and more into the spell. He'd seen the magic flow into Victor, and it seemed to have had a reaction, but he knew from experience that it could take some time before anything truly noticeable happened.

 

He sat just outside the pool waiting, staring at Victor, watching as the magic pulsed within his body. All he could do now was wait and hope.

 

It was awful.

 

After what felt like an eternity Yuuri saw Victor's chest start to rise and fall.


	4. Chapter 4

_This is nice_ was his first thought as he regained consciousness. It was hot and wet, but comfortable. He wondered where he was. Maybe the bath, that would make sense. He should probably get out though, if he was falling asleep in the bath then it was probably a bad idea to stay. The odd thing was that he couldn't remember getting in the bath, or even drawing one. In fact, the last thing that Victor remembered was...

 

His eyes snapped open and immediately met the most beautiful brown eyes that he had ever seen, belonging to the most beautiful man he had ever seen. He felt a faint vibration on his wrist as his soulmate timer hit zero.

 

***

 

Yuuri looked down as his timer vibrated, seeing that the soulmate counter had just hit zero, just as Victor had woken up.

 

WHAT!?

 

Yuuri looked back up in shock at Victor, who had also looked down at his own wrist, it seemed his own soulmate timer had just hit zero. At the same time as Yuuri's, with no one else around. How? Yuuri had completely forgotten that his own timer was getting close to zero, and he hadn't really paid too much attention to what Victor's had said. How was Victor Nikiforov really his soulmate?

 

Victor beamed at him.

 

"Hi."

 

"Um, hi."

 

Yuuri couldn't think of anything else to say. What did you say to your idol turned soulmate while they were naked in a hot spring after having just resurrected them? It was definitely an odd situation, and Yuuri was very grateful that he had had enough time to get out of the pool and put his own robes back on.

 

He was still struggling with what to say when Makkachin suddenly barked excitedly behind him.

 

"Makka's here?" Victor seemed confused, but still extremely happy. "Where is here exactly? I don't recognize it, and I don't remember even coming here."

 

"Um..." Yuuri didn't know where to start, but he should probably return Makkachin inside before she jumped into the hot spring in her excitement. He should also probably tell Minako that Victor was alive. "One second, I'll be right back."

 

He turned around and untied Makkachin's leash before heading toward the door.

 

"Wait, where are you taking her?"

 

"Um, dogs aren't technically allowed in the hot springs. I'll explain everything in a minute, I promise. Don't leave the hot spring." He then opened the door and led Makkachin over to Minako.

 

***

 

Victor was definitely confused, but his beautiful angel soulmate had said that he would explain, so he would believe him.

 

His beautiful soulmate seemed familiar, but he was having a hard time remembering why. In fact, a lot of Victor's brain seemed fuzzy and inaccessible. Why? He must have suffered a pretty bad head injury when he had fallen. Hopefully he didn't have amnesia or anything, that would be inconvenient.

 

He tried to think back. He had fallen on a quad flip, his signature move. How embarrassing. He had been distracted though.

 

YUURI KATSUKI! THAT'S WHO HIS SOULMATE WAS!

 

Okay, one mystery solved. He had been thinking of Katsuki, or should he call him Yuuri now, when it had happened. Why had he been thinking of Katsu- Yuuri though? His skating was beautiful, he would surely have a lot of people looking up to him, Yuri certainly did. They would both be able to replace him easily when... oh.

 

He looked down at his timers.

 

"You died."

 

Victor hadn't noticed Yuuri returning. He was now sitting back at the edge of the hot spring, looking nervous, but resolved.

 

Victor looked back at the timer again, actually seeing the numbers this time.

 

Only his soulmate timer was at zero. His death timer was high, very high. That couldn't possibly be right. He looked back to Yuuri, holding out his wrist with a questioning look.

 

Yuuri looked down at it and at first looked shocked, and then very pleased.

 

"Like I said, you died. You hit your head about a month ago when you fell on a quad flip. I was able to bring you back though." Yuuri then went on to explain the whole story. How Yakov had told everyone it was merely a coma, how Yuuri had reached out to Mila offering the healing powers of the hot springs, how Mila had apparently discovered the rumor that Yuuri's dog had been resurrected, and then confirmed it, how they had planned and Yuuri had practiced, how Yakov had sent nearly Victor's entire apartment in order to give Yuuri the best chance of succeeding, everything, until this very moment.

 

Victor looked around, it did indeed seem as if most of his apartment was here. He spotted his skates with the gold blades sitting next to Yuuri, a few pictures had been places around, he saw a small pile of his medals on Yuuri's other side, the bust that Chris had given him as a joke one time.

 

Victor was touched. He'd thought he was alone, but it seemed there were so many people willing to try the impossible just to bring him back. And now he had his soulmate. This was the best day of his life! (and arguably the first, but he was definitely counting his first life in this.)

 

Victor looked back to Yuuri. "Thank you, Yuuri. For everything!"

 

"You know who I am?" Why did that surprise Yuuri?

 

"Of course! You're skating is so beautiful! How could I not know!? And apparently you're my soulmate too! It seems like dying was the best thing that's ever happened to me!"

 

Yuuri laughed, it was the most beautiful laugh. "Just promise me you won't do it again."

 

"Of course! At least not for another seventy years or so," Victor replied, holding up his timers for Yuuri to see.

 

Yuuri smiled and nodded. It was the most beautiful smile.

 

***

 

Yakov couldn't help it, he cried when Minako told them the news. Apparently Victor would need to stay in the hot spring until the magic had fully settled and he had fully healed, which only Yuuri, being the caster of the spell, would be able to tell when that was. Apparently Yuuri had said he was doing well and was awake, so with any luck he would be out by dinner.

 

Mrs. Katsuki had immediately announced that they would have to make sure to have something called katsudon for dinner then. Yakov had no idea what that was, but Yuri and Mila both seemed to perk up at that, so it must be good.

 

"Wait," Mila started after a few minutes of celebrating, "I thought it was dangerous to stay in the hot springs for too long."

 

"It is," Minako replied instantly, "but since Yuuri used the magic from the hot springs to help with the spell both of them will be able to safely stay in until the magic's settled."

 

Yakov could tell he wasn't the only one who didn't quite understand how that worked exactly, but Minako was the only magic user here, so they would just have to trust her.

 

Half an hour later the Nikiforovs arrived, looking extremely worried. Yakov got to be the one to tell them the good news, and was very glad that it was up to Minako to inform them that, no, they could not barge in to see their son and would have to wait until he was finished healing, just like everyone else. They weren't too happy about this, but accepted, unwilling to do anything to risk Victor's health.

 

He was also very glad to hear that they had resolved to make more time for Victor in the future and to be more accessible in case they were ever needed again, although Mila pointed out that this time it was a good thing, because Yuuri probably wouldn't have reached out to her if he had known that Victor was already dead. They all agreed, but decided that it was best not to risk it in the future.

 

***

 

This time the wait was more bearable. Mila decided to turn dinner into an impromptu welcome back party for Victor and everyone else was more than willing to help out, even Yurio.

 

The Nikiforovs decided that they would join them after a short nap, apparently worrying did not mix with jet lag and they were both barely staying awake.

 

A few times Minako had gone to check on Yuuri and Victor, being the only one who was allowed near the hot spring at the moment. Every time she came back with a smug look and refused to tell anyone anything other than that Victor was steadily improving.

 

***

 

Minako was immensely proud of her student.

 

Yuuri had surpassed even her expectations, which had always been high.

 

Even better, the first time she went out to check on them she had found them sitting very close together in the hot spring, both with stupidly happy grins on their faces.

 

"How are you two doing?" she asked, smirking at the sight.

 

Yuuri's face turned beet red and Victor beamed.

 

"Great! Who knew you could feel so good after being dead for a month! Plus, I got to meet my soulmate!" Victor put his arm around Yuuri as Yuuri shouted "Victor!"

 

"Oh, sorry did you want to be the one to tell people?" Victor asked, looking suddenly concerned, but no less happy.

 

"No, it's fine," Yuuri replied, face buried in his hands. "Please don't tell anyone Minako-sensei."

 

"Of course not. I figure it's best if you tell them yourselves. Be prepared to tell the whole story though." Minako was about to leave when she remembered. "Oh, by the way, Victor, your parents are here."

 

"Really!?"

 

"Yeah, they arrived about half an hour after you woke up. They're napping right now, the worrying plus the jet lag seemed to have really drained them, but they plan to join the party for dinner. Mila, Mari and Yurio are planning a welcome back party for you. I figure it's probably best not to surprise you too much right now."

 

Victor beamed. "I can't wait! Wait, Yurio?"

 

Yuuri laughed before answering, "Mari decided that it would be too confusing having two Yu(u)ris around so she nicknamed Yuri Yurio. He hasn't been complaining about it nearly as much as I thought he would, but I guess he's probably been too worried about you to care."

 

Victor laughed. "He'll probably start complaining now."

 

"Too late, the name's stuck. Text me if you need anything, ok."

 

"Ok, thanks, Minako-sensei."

 

"Thanks, Minako!"

 

Minako smiled and headed back inside. She couldn't wait for dinner.

 

***

 

It was quite a few hours before Yuuri declared that Victor was able to leave the hot spring. Victor had made sure to use that time alone with his soulmate well. He and Yuuri had been swapping stories from their lives, occasionally Yuuri would ask about something specific that he had found amongst Victor's belongings and Victor would happily tell him anything he could remember about it. Yuuri especially seemed interested in his skating career, which made sense after a severely blushing Yuuri had admitted to being a huge fan since he was young.

 

Yuuri's teacher, Minako, had come back a few times and a couple times had taken one of the many boxes of his stuff back inside with her, apparently they were setting up a room for him to stay in (he was very happy to learn that it was right next to Yuuri's).

 

When Yuuri finally announced that he was ready to go back inside, Victor was ecstatic. He couldn't wait to see everyone, and meet Yuuri's family. He was also very curious to see Yuuri's room after he had mentioned something about a poster collection before blushing furiously and hiding his face (Victor loved Yuuri's blushes), but that would have to wait.

 

He noticed that Yuuri refused to look directly at him when they got out of the pool, but kept sneaking glances before looking away again (while blushing). Victor couldn't help it if he made sure to show off a bit as they both got dressed in the robes that were provided.

 

The first thing that greeted them when they went inside were two very excited poodles, one a miniature version of the other. They spent a few minutes being enthusiastically greeted before Yuuri's older sister found them and led them to the dining room where everyone else had gathered while they waited.

 

Victor was glad that Minako had warned them about the surprise party. As much as he loved surprises, he wasn't sure his newly resurrected heart could have taken the shock of everyone suddenly cheering when he appeared. He was used to that from being a Living Legend, but it always helped to be prepared.

 

Victor had barely taken a step into the room when he was nearly tackled by his parents. They seemed to have been waiting by the door and had rushed to hug him the moment they saw him. He was glad to see them and even gladder to hear their sobbed promises to be better in the future.

 

After a few minutes of hugging and crying they moved onto Yuuri, who looked like he didn't know what to do with Victor's still sobbing parents clinging to him and thanking him profusely. He only had a moment to enjoy the sight before he was once again nearly tackled to the floor by Mila and Yurio, who Victor was surprised to see were also crying.

 

"Don't ever do that again," Yurio said, trying to sound like his usual angry self despite his face being buried in Victor's robe (where a very definite wet spot was growing the longer Yurio clung to him). Mila nodded in agreement.

 

"I didn't know you cared so much Yurio," Victor couldn't help teasing him.

 

Yurio immediately drew back, dislodging Mila in the process.

 

"I don't!" he insisted, hastily wiping his eyes not at all discreetly, "I just don't want to deal with everyone else's moping ever again! And my name's not Yurio!"

 

"I think this wet patch on my robe would disagree with you, _Yurio_."

 

Yurio just huffed and stomped back to his place at the table followed by Mila. They were quickly replaced by Yakov.

 

Was Yakov crying? Was Yakov capable of crying? Wow, this was definitely the strangest day of his life (both of them).

 

Yakov didn't hug him, just clapped his hand on Victor's shoulder and said, "The doctor's want to take a look at you in the morning, after that take some time off of practice to recover." He then went and joined Yurio and Mila at the table.

 

Victor was touched, from Yakov that was practically a declaration of love.

 

Definitely a strange day.

 

By then Victor's parents had released Yuuri, who led Victor over to the table, where they took the remaining empty spots.

 

"Victor, this is my mom, Hiroko, and dad, Toshiya. Mom, Dad, this is Victor," Yuuri said, shyly introducing him to the man and women sitting next to them.

 

"It's wonderful to meet you!" Victor beamed, not sure how exactly if he should shake their hands or bow or what. How did one greet their future in-laws, especially when said in-laws didn't know about the whole soulmate thing yet? Victor just decided to keep talking. "Thank you so much for everything! The hot springs are amazing and something in here smells heavenly!"

 

Yuuri's mom chuckled. "That would be the katsudon," she said, indicating the bowls that Victor now noticed were placed in front of them all, "it's Yuuri's favorite."

 

At that moment a loud rumble came from Victor's other side. He turned to see Yuuri blushing and looking embarrassed.

 

"I guess I forgot that I've barely eaten today."

 

"Does that mean we can eat now?" asked Yurio, eyeing his own bowl.

 

"Of course, dig in!" exclaimed Yuuri's father.

 

Victor immediately grabbed his chopsticks and took a bite.

 

"VKUSNO!"

 

***

 

 Yuuri smiled at Victor's reaction to his favorite food. Across the table he could also see Victor's parents and Yakov reacting positively (although less enthusiastically) to the dish. It was nice to know that his soulmate loved his favorite food just as much as he did.

 

Speaking of which, how exactly was he supposed to bring that up? Should he just say it, or make a big announcement? Or should he let Victor tell everyone? Maybe they should just keep it a secret for the rest of their lives. Although with Victor being as popular as he was that would be hard to do, but probably easier than telling both his and Victor's families.

 

He decided to shove the thought aside for now and focus on enjoying his katsudon. They all ate in silence, content to simply enjoy the delicious food. However, when the last person set down their chopsticks Yuuri's worries returned. Luckily (or not) Minako seemed to be thinking along the same lines.

 

"So, Yuuri, Victor, didn't you have something you wanted to tell everyone?" Minako asked slyly. Victor instantly perked up.

 

"Oh, you mean about Yuuri and me being soulmates? Yuuri did you want to tell them or should I?"

 

"Go ahead." Yuuri said. It's not like it really mattered anyway, since Victor had just accidentally announced it to the whole table. He wondered if the lack of filter was a side effect of being resurrected or if Victor was like that all the time. Well, he would certainly have the chance to find out.

 

"Right," Victor grabbed Yuuri's hand under the table and turned to everyone else, "Yuuri and I are soulmates!" Victor announced grandly, holding up their hands with their timers for everyone to see.

 

"So we've heard." Mari responded looking amused.

 

"Really, when? Oh, oops." Victor seemed to deflate a bit when he realized. Yuuri couldn't hold back a small laugh.

 

"It's fine, I'm glad you're so excited at least."

 

Victor beamed back at him.

 

***

 

Yuri was trying not to gag at the affectionate display in front of him. Of-fucking-course those two would end up being soulmates. They looked way too disgustingly happy. It didn't help that everyone around them was offering their congratulations and shit and just causing the idiots to look even happier.

 

Hopefully they wouldn't start kissing or anything while he was still here. The only sane one at the moment seemed to be Mari, who looked happy, but also like she was plotting something. He could respect that.

 

Luckily all the excitement died down quickly (although not quickly enough) and everyone began talking about plans for tomorrow.

 

"How long will you all be staying?" Hiroko asked everyone.

 

"The three of us should be getting back soon," Yakov answered, "we need to get back into proper training now that this is all over."

 

"Can we at least stay a few more days?" Mila asked, Yuri was glad, he was enjoying Japan and didn't want to go back just yet. Besides, Victor owed him a program, and he wasn't getting out of it just because he'd died.

 

"I'm sure the Nishigori's wouldn't mind if you continued to use the Ice Castle to train while you're here."

 

"Hmm, I suppose that is acceptable."

 

Mila punched the air in triumph and Yuri smirked.

 

"We made sure to clear our schedules for the next month," said Mr. Nikiforov, "but we don't want to impose, we can always look for a hotel."

 

"Nonsense. With the boys being soulmates you're basically family, you're more than welcome to stay here." Hiroko insisted and the Nikiforovs immediately accepted.

 

Not long after the party broke up. Yakov declared that training would resume at the usual time tomorrow, so Yuri and Mila grudgingly headed to bed.

 

***

 

Victor was not tired. In fact he was wide awake. He had been dead for an entire month after all, that was basically resting. Right? Either way, he was definitely not tired now.

 

Victor followed close behind as Yuuri led him to his room.

 

The room was small, but nice, or it would be once his things were settled. Currently the room was filled with boxes of all his stuff. It was at least nice to know that he had everything that he needed for however long he would be staying.

 

Victor was digging through a box of clothes looking for something to wear other than the inn's robes when he heard Yuuri trying (and failing) to stifle a yawn behind him. Victor turned around just as Yuuri yawned again.

 

"Tired?"

 

"It's been a long day. But I can try to stay up if you need me." His Yuuri was so accommodating, but he looked like he was about to fall asleep on one of the boxes.

 

"Don't worry about it. You should sleep."

 

"Are you sure?"

 

Victor nodded. He wanted to stay with Yuuri though. "You could sleep in here if you wanted," Victor suggested hesitantly. "That way in case I need anything you'll be right here," Victor added quickly, any excuse to get him to stay.

 

"I don't want to impose."

 

"Please stay." Victor tried.

 

Yuuri paused, seemingly contemplating, and then he smiled and nodded.

 

Twenty minutes later Victor found himself falling asleep with his arms full of Yuuri.

 

***

 

The next morning Yuuri accompanied Victor to meet with the doctors and was pleased when they deemed him in excellent health. (Yuuri may have taken great pride when he saw the shocked looks on both doctors faces when they saw a very much alive Victor walk through the door.)

 

Afterwards Yuuri and Victor grabbed their skating gear and went to join the others at the Ice Castle.

 

"I am in excellent health!" Victor announced when they stepped through the doors to the ice rink. "They said that I should still go in for regular checkups to make sure everything stays good, but otherwise I'm good to go."

 

"Good, so you can work on the program you promised me."

 

"Don't worry, Yurio, I'll make sure you get it."

 

Yuuri noticed that Yakov looked worryingly pensive throughout the whole exchange, but decided to ignore it for now as he sat down on the bench to take out his skates.

 

Yuuri couldn't decide if he was more nervous or excited to get to skate with Victor, he also couldn't decide whether or not it helped that Victor was apparently already familiar with his skating. He tried not to think about it too much as they laced up their skates and stepped out on the ice.

 

***

 

Victor was excited to see Yuuri skate in person. He'd looked so beautiful in videos and he had wished he could have watched him skate in person in Sochi, but now he had his chance.

 

He kept an eye on Yuuri as they skated their warm ups. Yuuri had mentioned yesterday that he didn't have a coach anymore, but was going to try to compete next season anyway, apparently Yurio had challenged him and now he was determined. Victor had made a mental note to send Yurio a large gift basket of cat toys for Potya.

 

As their warm ups progressed Victor also noticed that Yakov was keeping an unusually close eye on Yuuri. He looked like he did when he was watching one of his own skaters, only without the yelling. It seemed like Yuuri wouldn't have to worry about lacking a coach for much longer.

 

At some point Victor had gotten distracted working on the short programs that he had been choreographing. His attention was drawn back to his surroundings when he heard Yakov gasp, a truly unusual sound to hear. Victor looked in the direction that Yakov was looking to see Yuuri skating some very familiar moves. He seemed to be so lost in his own world that he didn't seem to be aware of his audience. Victor quietly skated to the edge of the rink so he wouldn't get in the way and noticed Mila and Yurio join him (back in regular shoes) from the other side of the wall, their practice must have finished already.

 

All the Russians stood transfixed as Yuuri skated to music that only he could hear but all of them knew very well. He was truly beautiful to watch. Victor noted that he downgraded all the quads to triples, but otherwise he skated the program better than Victor ever had. When Yuuri struck the final pose all four Russians (and apparently a few others? They must be the Nishigoris) started clapping enthusiastically, startling Yuuri out of his trance.

 

Victor immediately made his way over to Yakov as Yuuri rushed off the ice, face bright red. They'd have to work on his confidence.

 

"Yakov, I need to talk to you."

 

Yakov motioned for him to come  and they made their way to the far end of the rink, away from the small crowd that had captured a flustered Yuuri and was showering him with well earned praise.

 

"I'm taking next season off." Victor stated as soon as they came to a stop. "I'm going to coach Yuuri instead."

 

Yakov looked surprised at this statement. "I thought I would have to fight you to take some time off, but I might have to fight you for Katsuki."

 

Victor just raised an eyebrow inquiringly.

 

Yakov sighed. "I've been thinking that after everything that's happened it would be best for you to at least skip the Grand Prix series. You might be in excellent health, but we don't know how it will hold up. Besides, if you really had been in a coma it would be expected that you would need the time off to recover." Victor had to agree with this reasoning, although it was not actually why he wanted to take time off. "But Vitya, you're not a coach, and that boy needs a coach."

 

"I could be a coach," Victor argued, "I know how to skate and give advice, and he'd my soulmate, Yakov!  Who could help him better than me?"

 

"Anyone," Yakov grumbled.

 

Victor pouted, but after seeing no reaction from Yakov he continued with his argument. "Yuuri needs to work on his confidence more than anything, I think I can help him with that, and I think training in his home town where he's most comfortable will help too. I was thinking that I could stay here with him, I can continue to use the healing hot springs and train Yuuri at the same time. Besides, if I need advice I can always call you, right Yakov?" Victor finished with his most disarming smile.

 

Yakov huffed. "Fine, you can offer to train him, but I expect you to keep training too, I'll expect regular updates on both of your progress. I hope you know what you're doing."

 

Victor beamed. "I won't let you down!"


	5. Chapter 5

Once Yakov returned to Saint Petersburg with Mila and Yuri he issued an official statement announcing that Victor had awoken from his coma and would be sitting out the Grand Prix in order to make a full recovery, but would hopefully be returning in time for the Russian Nationals. Victor had never said anything about intending to return, but Yakov was hopeful, especially if Katsuki did well it might inspire Victor to return.

 

The official statement never said anything about Victor leaving Russia, but less than a week later it seemed that people had discovered that Victor was in Hasetsu and they were speculating that he was coaching Yuuri Katsuki, which Victor was quick to confirm, gushing about Katsuki's potential.

 

Yakov felt sorry for the poor boy, but they both seemed to be happy so he couldn't complain.

 

Yakov kept a close eye on both of their training over the season and couldn't deny that he was immensely proud to see that Victor seemed to actually be doing well as a coach.

 

He was also very happy when Victor announced that he would be competing at Russian nationals and that he and Katsuki would be training in Saint Petersburg.

 

***

 

Yuuri was nervous.

 

He was about to take the ice at the World Championships.

 

Victor was currently sitting in the kiss and cry with Yakov and blowing kisses in Yuuri's direction. He'd just completed a stunning free skate and after finishing the short program in first he had a very good chance of winning his sixth straight gold.

 

And Yuuri had to follow that.

 

Yuuri warmed up as they awaited Victor's scores and paused when they were announced. The crowd was cheering so loudly that no one could hear the announcer announcing the scores. Yuuri tried to look at the screen, but without his glasses couldn't make out the numbers. He did however notice the little colored box next to them that indicated a world record.

 

And Yuuri had to follow that.

 

He tried not to panic as his name was announced. Victor appeared next to him just before he skated out to the center to take his opening pose.

 

Victor didn't say anything, just kissed him and wrapped his fingers over Yuuri's hidden timers. Yuuri smiled into the kiss before moving away. Victor was right, he'd already done the impossible, he could do this.

 

Yuuri felt light as he skated his free skate and before he knew it he was sliding into his final pose. He could feel it, he'd done well.

 

Just as the final note played Yuuri felt a faint vibration on the wrist of his outstretched arm. Yuuri smiled. His score no longer mattered.

 

***

 

Victor was more nervous than Yuuri as they sat in the kiss and cry awaiting Yuuri's score. Victor had been thrilled when Yuuri had told him about his second timer going off. They had both forgotten that their life goals timers were getting close to zero, so it had been a wonderful surprise. Victor was curious to know how much time he had left on his own, but it could wait, Yuuri's score was more important.

 

Victor really wanted Yuuri to win. He honestly didn't care about claiming a sixth world title or holding onto a new world record (Yuuri would have to take it back in order to beat Victor anyway). Yuuri deserved to win. He worked hard and was amazing and Victor was so incredibly proud of him. Plus, if he won gold they could get married (they would get married either way, but he'd let his mouth get ahead of his brain in Barcelona and now there were expectations).

 

Victor tensed in anticipation as the announcer called for the scores.

 

The crowd's cheers were deafening.

 

Victor felt his wrist buzz. He ignored it in favor of tackling Yuuri.

 

They made sure that the kiss and cry lived up to its name.

 

-

 

As Victor took his place on the podium, one step below Yuuri, and received his first silver medal in a very long time, he honestly could not figure out what his life goal was. He decided that it was probably something too complex to be defined. All he knew was that he was the happiest he'd ever been in his lives.


End file.
